1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wall base molding and flooring tools, and more particularly to an improved cove base cutting guide tool for making mitered cuts in rubber or plastic wall or cove base material, so that the sections can be glued together to form a sharp 90.degree. corner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present cove base cutting guide tools have a variety of problems associated with the use of these tools in real world applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,296 discloses a cove base cutting guide in the form of a block. The patent discusses the problems associated with prior art guide devices for use with cove bases made of a softer material, such as a rubber or synthetic rubber, because the material is not held into place firmly during cutting resulting in an imperfect cut. The patent further discusses the problems associated with bending the cove base around the corners, such that the cove bases do not match the sharp contour of the corner and provide an imperfect aesthetically unpleasing look. The patent then discusses solving these problems by providing a block with an entry port that is J-shaped for receiving cove base material, and an exit port on the opposite end for removing the base material. The two ports define a J-shaped chamber that extends from one end of the block to the opposite end, and is sized to provide friction on the base material when it is enclosed in the chamber. The patent states that the friction is applied, so that the base material can be stabilized in the chamber during cutting, so that the cuts are not distorted. Slits are provided in the front of the block for cutting the base material at 90.degree., or plus or minus 45.degree.. The slits do not extend beyond the bottom of the block and are designed to receive a utility knife blade. The knife is inserted into the slit piercing the cove base material, and is then run down the length of the slit to make the mitered cut.
In real world applications, there are many problems associated with the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,296. For example, this structure is rigid and can only be used with one thickness of cove base material (i.e. 1/8 inch). The device could not be used for a thinner or thicker base material, of which there are many available in the industry. Further, during use of the device, the J-hook portion of the slot faces the user and must be placed in a direction away from the wall. In practical applications, cove base material comes off of a roll that could be up to 120 feet in length, and the user would want to make the cut with the base lined up on the wall, rather than facing away from the wall during the mitered cut as the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,296 must be used. The device provides a hollow chamber to enable the blade to enter the box and would require a stabilizing block to keep the box from leaning over as the knife blade is inserted into the tool. The use of a slit on the side of the box, provides for the blade on a knife to pierce the base rather than simply cutting it, which may cause stretching of the cove base material before it is pierced, thus resulting in inaccuracies in the cut of the cove base material. Since the device is inflexible, it can only apply friction to one size base. Therefore, when beginning at the top of the slit the cove base material of a smaller thickness is subject to movement causing irregularities in the cut of the cove base material. Also, because of the rigidity of the structure, when the appropriate width of cove base material is used through the chamber of the box, the friction is applied at the bottom of the box because of the angle of the cove base material. This results in more play at the top of the cove base material than at the bottom causing inaccurate cuts when a user begins the cut from the top of the cove base material. Finally, it is very important to be able to mark a cove base material along the top surface with a pencil, so that the user knows where to make the appropriate mitered cut. The block cove base cutter completely encloses the cove base material, and the user cannot see the pencil mark made on the top of the material when making the mitered cut.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,350 provides for a cove base corner cutter that includes two metal pieces held together with wing nuts, when the cove base material is inserted into the tool. The tool lays flat on the floor when it is being used and the cove base material is clamped into the device. The problem with this device is that it never stabilizes the cove base entirely, and the toe portion or wing portion would be deformed as pressure was applied by the wing nut, or the user applied hand pressure. The device is also extremely awkward to use, and again the base would face the wrong direction to lay against the wall after the cut, greatly increasing the time element involved in installing the cove base material. Further, the cove base is not easily placed in the tool, and the marks needed for the outside corner cuts cannot be seen once clamped into the device. Holding this tool down with one hand and cutting that close to the end, clearly would present safety issues and result in unacceptable risks of injury to the user.